Spruce Islands Provincial Park Management Statement

Interim Management Statement

© 2003, Queen’s Printer for Ontario
Printed in Ontario, Canada

Additional copies of this publication can be obtained from:

Ministry of Natural Resources
Fort Frances District Ontario Parks
922 Scott St.
Fort Frances, ON
P9A 1J4
Telephone: 807-274-5337

And:

Ontario Parks Northwest Zone
Suite 221D
435 James Street South
Thunder Bay, ON
P7E 6S8
Telephone: 807-475-1321

Approval statement

This Interim Management Statement will provide interim direction for the management of Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve until a comprehensive Park Management Plan is prepared.

This statement will provide the basis for the subsequent preparation of the Park Management Plan.

I am pleased to approve this Interim Management Statement for Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve.

Signed by:
Tim P. Sullivan
Zone Manager, Ontario Parks
North West Zone

Prelude

The purpose of this Interim Management Statement is to identify:

1. park values, which are to be protected
2. resource management prescriptions necessary to protect these values in their current state; and
3. restrictions, according to existing park policy, on use of natural resources within the park

This Interim Management Statement is not intended to replace a Park Management Plan. Rather it is intended to guide the use of natural resources and related activities within the park until such a time as a Park Management Plan is prepared.

The guidelines that have been developed are based upon information contained in the Ontario Provincial Parks Planning and Management Policies (1992) and Ontario’s Living Legacy Land Use Strategy (1999).

Background information

Refer to the maps at the end of the document.

Targets

Life science representation

Earth science representation

Cultural resource representation

Recreational opportunities

Inventories

I Introduction

The Spruce Islands Nature Reserve was recommended as a candidate park in the Fort Frances District Land Use Guidelines (1983) and it was formally established as 'Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve' in 1985, under Ontario regulation 45/85. The park was later recommended for expansion as part of Ontario’s Living Legacy (OLL), a land use strategy that guides the planning and management of Crown lands in central and portions of northern Ontario. Under this initiative, released in July 1999, 378 new protected areas, including the Spruce Islands Nature Reserve Addition (P2417), were identified. The formal regulation of this addition under the Provincial Parks Act is targeted for 2002 and it will be regulated under the name 'Spruce Islands Provincial Park (Nature Reserve Class),' although it will continue to be referred to as a 'Provincial Nature Reserve.'

The nature reserve classification recognizes the distinctive natural habitats and landforms and it’s protection for educational purposes and as a gene pool for research to benefit present and future generations. At 1445 ha, this park includes excellent representation of peatland patterns and processes with its peat-filled water tracks and raised teardrop-shaped black spruce islands. The park is located approximately 20 kilometers northeast of the town of Rainy River and borders Highway 619 on its western side.

An Interim Management Statement was first completed for the Spruce Islands Nature Reserve in 1986, and was later updated in 1991. This Interim Management Statement represents a synthesis of the 1991 version with new information and management directions that have arisen from Ontario’s Living Legacy and it replaces the 1991 version.

II Land tenure/acquisition/disposition

Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve is composed entirely of Crown Land in the Geographic Township of Nelles, District of Rainy River. The 1985 Park boundaries included: Section 34, Section 27, NE ¼ of Section 28, N ½ and SW ¼ of Section 22, and N ½, SW ¼ and S ½ of the SE ¼ of Section 21. The S ½ of Section 33, remainder of Section 28, and NE ¼ and W ½ of the NW ¼ of Section 29 constitute the OLL Addition.

The Geographic Township of Nelles contains a number of unopened road allowances, traversing both the original park and the OLL Addition. Road allowances occurring along the park boundary have been excluded from the nature reserve.

There are no land use permits, leases, easements, or other forms of tenure within the park area, although the N ½ of the SE ¼ of Section 21 (32.78 ha) is a patented property that is completely surrounded by the nature reserve. The exterior boundary of the nature reserve is also largely surrounded by patented land.

Guideline:

• No new sales of Crown land for the private use of individuals or corporations will be permitted in a regulated park
• Land dispositions for private or commercial use will not be considered
• If any portions of patent lands adjacent to or surrounded by the nature reserve become available they may be considered for addition to the park
• According to Section 3(4) of the Provincial Parks Act, unopened road allowances that have not been closed or conveyed will become vested in the Crown on the day that the provincial park is established or the area in which the road allowance occurs is officially added to the park

III Aboriginal interests

Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve is within the Treaty 3 area, with the Rainy River Band (Wildlands Reserve 15M) being the closest First Nation. The nature reserve falls within a larger area that is subject to on-going land claim negotiations between the Crown and local First Nations.

Guideline:

• Any management guidelines will reflect the Ontario government’s approach to Aboriginal rights:
  1. All decisions related to the identification, planning or disposition of provincial park lands, or other lands set aside to protect significant natural or cultural heritage values, will be the subject of public consultation. Aboriginal peoples who identify traditional ties to those lands will be an integral part of the consultation and decision making processes. In some cases there may be a need for separate consultation or negotiation processes to address Aboriginal interest in parklands. If required, some issues regarding how a park is used may also be the subjects of negotiation with Aboriginal people
  2. The Government of Ontario will consider all the available options when seeking to determine the land component, if any, during negotiations involving land claim settlements with First Nations. Options for uses that involve lands not to be considered for provincial park purposes will be preferred
  3. As described in the Province’s Interim Enforcement Policy (1991), Aboriginal people hunting or fishing in provincial parks will be subject to all relevant treaties and laws. However, an agreement reached between the Province and a First Nation may modify the application of those treaties and laws (Ontario Provincial Parks Planning and Management Policies, 1992)

IV Natural Resource Stewardship

Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve, within ecoregion 5S, is located on a peneplain with low relief that once formed part of the bed of glacial Lake Agassiz. The nature reserve is particularly noted for its distinctive patterning of north-south oriented treed fens. This pattern is the result of a process whereby the treed fen was slowly broken up over time by drainage; first into strings of treed ridges and intervening flarks, or water tracks. These strings were later broken up by flows into more isolated, somewhat ovoid, islands of residual fen.

Lands and waters

A tributary of the Kishkakoesis River, which flows through the southern portion of the nature reserve, is the only permanent waterbody within Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve. Although, the patterned fen complex has created a system of water tracks that resemble an anastomosing, or interlaced, stream channel pattern.

The nature reserve occupies an area on the border of the felsic igneous rocks of the Sabaskong batholith to the north and the mafic metavolcanics of the Rainy River greenstone belt. No known rock outcrops exist within the park, and the underlying geology has been inferred from surrounding outcrops and broader-scale geological surveys. The area has been influenced by the events of the late Wisconsin period, including deposition from advances of lobes of both the Keewatin and Labradorean fronts of the Laurentide ice sheet, as well as the phases of glacial Lake Agassiz. Quaternary deposits from this time tend to be complex, reflecting the sequence of glacial events, but broadly represent examples of glaciolacustrine deposits, till and minor glaciofluvial influences. Recent deposits are the most visible features of the nature reserve, represented by the extensive area of peat deposits.

The depth of the overburden has generally hampered mineral exploration in the area. Prior mining claims did occupy an area that has been included in the OLL Addition. Reverse circulation drilling was undertaken on these claims in 1995 to conduct geochemical sampling of till. No current mining park have expired, although there are active claims west of Highway 619, south of the nature reserve.

Guideline:

• Commercial hydro development is not permitted
• Peat extraction is not permitted
• Aggregate extraction is not permitted
• Mineral exploration and mining are not permitted within Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve

Vegetation management

A total of 15 ecosite types have been identified with Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve, the majority of which are wetland types. Ecosites occurring along Highway 619 and in the extreme northeast corner of the nature reserve have been influenced by the construction of drainage ditches. The ditches along Highway 619 are approximately 1 to 2 metres deep and have resulted in a significant increase in black spruce growth extending a short distance into the adjoining treed fen. Those in the northeast corner are a much older, shallower system that forms a grid pattern and drain approximately 40 hectares. The ditches are gradually filling in with alluvial peat and have resulted in a relative lack of visible response in the vegetation.

Forested portions of the park include uplands on the northwest margin of the wetland features and forested wetlands. Conifer species, including larch and black spruce, dominate most of Spruce Islands Nature Reserve. The northwest portion of the nature reserve contains representation of white pine, black ash, and black spruce/balsam fir/poplar mixedwoods. Eastern white cedar occurs throughout treed portions of the park, with a concentration occurring along the northern border.

Provincially rare faunal species have not been documented, although a number of species that are rare in both the ecological site region and district have been observed within the nature reserve. One of these species, twig-rush (Cladium mariscoides ) occurs as a community dominant, in an area that is at the westernmost portion of its range.

Spruce Islands Provincial Park is located within the Crossroute Forest Management Unit 405, which has been issued to the Fort Frances Division of Abitibi-Consolidated Inc. This management unit is the result of an amalgamation of the former Highrock (290) and Fort Frances Flanders (827) Forests, which was scheduled to take place April 1, 2002.

Guideline:

• Commercial forest operations are not permitted
• Fuelwood cutting is not permitted
• Management will be directed towards on-going natural succession, unless alternative strategies are desirable
• Non-native species will not be deliberately introduced. Where they are already established, and threaten park values, management will develop a program for their eradication
• Insect/disease suppression of non-native infestations is permitted
• In the absence of a fire management plan for the park, the fire management objectives for the surrounding fire zone will apply. All human-caused fires will be suppressed
• Prescribed burning to simulate natural fire may be permitted, subject to park management planning
• The need for a Vegetation Management Plan, which would include prescriptions for fire management, will be determined in the park management plan
• The locations of significant floral species will not be public information. Necessary measures (access/development restrictions) to protect the integrity of these populations will be implemented
• Ontario Parks will act as a plan advisor and reviewer during the Forest Management Planning Process, according to the Northwest Zone’s Protocol for Ontario Parks' Participation in Forest recognized and that protection and mitigation measures are worked out through the development of the forest management plan when these values are potentially effected by adjacent forestry operations

Wildlife and fisheries management

The upland portions of the nature reserve provide habitat for many of the mammals found in the Rainy River area and may act as a refuge in a region where the surrounding area is dominated by agriculture. White-tailed deer, in particular, are frequently observed in the park. There are some signs of beaver activity along a tributary of the Kishkakoesis River, within the southern portion of the park. Although the concentration of beavers is low, when compared to other areas in the MNR's Fort Frances District.

The number and variety of waterfowl and upland bird species that the area supports is not well known. Given the predominance of conifer species, habitat for bird species is weighted heavily to those species favouring these forest types. Regionally unusual species, such as red-headed woodpecker, loggerhead shrike, western kingbird, black-billed magpies and sandhill cranes, may also be observed in the area, at least as occasional visitors.

To date, specific surveys have not been conducted to determine the fisheries resources in Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve. They are most likely quite limited, as the tributary to the Kishkakoesis River is the only permanent waterbody in the nature reserve and the angling opportunities along this stream are marginal, at best.

Guideline:

• Management will be directed to the maintenance of an evolving natural succession, unless alternative strategies are desirable.
• Fish stocking of any kind is not permitted.
• Hunting, trapping and fishing by Aboriginal people exercising their Aboriginal or Treaty rights is not affected.
• Sport hunting and fishing will be addressed in Section VI – Recreation Activities
• Fur harvesting will be addressed in Section VII – Commercial Activities

V Cultural resources

There are no known cultural resources in the Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve, although there is some potential for existing sites. Paleo-Indian archeological sites, associated with the shore of glacial Lake Agassiz, have been registered in the area. There are currently no registered archeological sites with Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve.

Guideline:

• Further inventory is required to assess the cultural resources of the park. Approved archeological fieldwork will be encouraged
• The locations of any archeological sites will not be public information. Necessary measures (access/development restrictions) to protect the integrity of any archeological sites will be implemented
• The need for a Cultural Resources Plan/Strategy for cultural features/sensitive areas will be determined with park management planning

VI Existing/proposed development

Existing development within the Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve is minimal. Drainage ditches have been constructed around the periphery of the nature reserve and an extensive drainage system was developed at one time in the northeast corner of the park. Maps of the area also indicate that trail and cut lines may have also been established in the nature reserve at one time, although they have not been maintained and are not readily identifiable. A cut road allowance, which is used as a snowmobile trail, exists adjacent to the nature reserve’s northern boundary.

There is no proposed development for Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve.

Guideline:

• Development of access zones will be addressed via park management planning
• Ontario Parks' signage is permitted
• Continuing custodial management for roads contained within the park and capital development of new/additional roads will be determined through park management planning
• Development related to snowmobile use will be addressed in Section VII – Recreation Activities
• Development related to fur harvesting will be addressed in Section VIII – Commercial Activities

VII Recreation activities

Recreation in Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve is limited due to the lack of access (see Section IX – Access) and a low activity attraction capability. The area does have the potential to support a range of activities related to nature appreciation, such as wildlife viewing and bird watching.

Angling opportunities may exist along the Pinewood River. The nature reserve is located within the Border Waters and Division 22 of the Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations , which means that all the general and area-specific regulations, along with any of the exceptions concerning specific waterbodies, apply to Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve.

Guideline:

• Where compatible with park values, low-intensity day-use activities and facilities that enhance appreciation of the park will be encouraged
• Park management planning will determine policies for recreation management
• Sport hunting is not permitted
• Sport fishing is permitted, subject to the relevant Ontario fishing regulations
• In accordance with Ontario Provincial Parks: Planning and Management Policies (1992), live baitfish should not be used or possessed in this provincial park. Until such time as a regulation is established under the Ontario Fisheries Regulations, Ontario Parks will discourage the use or possession of baitfish in this provincial park
• Mechanized travel (including ATV and snowmobiles) will not be permitted except for access purposes in access zones, as determined through park management planning

VIII Commercial activities

Commercial fur harvesting is an adjacent land use to Spruce Islands. A number of traplines do overlap with the nature reserve’s boundaries, but they are Resident Traplines, meaning that trapping is restricted to private land. Local First Nations may be exercising their Aboriginal and treaty rights to harvest fur within the nature reserve. No overt signs of trapping have been documented, to date.

One Bear Management Area (BMA) has some degree of overlap with the OLL Addition. This BMA (FF-10-002) is currently inactive.

Commercial baitfish harvesting is an existing and adjacent land use, as baitfish blocks FF-32 and FF-50 overlap with the nature reserve. However, there are very few useable waterbodies within the nature reserve portion of these baitfish blocks. FF-50 is currently inactive and although FF-32 is active, the areas useable to this licensee are concentrated north of the nature reserve, in the existing Cranberry Lake Provincial Nature Reserve.

Guideline:

• Commercial fur harvesting is not permitted
• Trapping by First Nations people exercising their Aboriginal of treaty rights is not effected.
• Existing authorized BMA licenses will not be renewed or transferred, nor will new operations be permitted, on the portions of the BMA contained within the nature reserve. Ontario Parks will work with the MNR's Fort Frances District to formally remove the nature reserve from the relevant BMA
• Baitfish harvesting will be phased out by December 31, 2009, on the portions of baitfish blocks contained within the nature reserve

IX Access

Access can be gained to the eastern and northern portions of Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve from Highway 619, which runs along its eastern boundary. A cut road allowance follows the northern boundary of the nature reserve. There is room to park a vehicle at the junction of the road allowance with the highway, creating an informal access point. The trails and old cut lines marked on maps of the area cannot be considered viable access, since they are not readily identifiable and are deteriorating quickly.

Guideline:

• Access into the park via existing roads will be permitted to continue pending park management planning. Any decisions concerning the maintenance of existing roads will also be made at that time
• Access by Aboriginal people exercising their Aboriginal or Treaty rights is not affected

X Client services

There are currently no client services for the Spruce Islands Nature Reserve.

Guideline:

• Client services will be limited to a map/brochure until an approved park management plan is completed and all information provided will convey the message that visitors have the responsibility to protect the nature reserve. Development of a Natural Heritage Education Plan will be considered when developing the park management plan
• Recreation programs will not be provided

XI Research and inventories

Reconnaissance earth science, life science and recreation inventories were completed for the park during summer/fall 2001. Cultural and historical features have yet to be inventoried.

Guideline:

• Detailed inventories of earth science, life science, cultural and recreation values will be undertaken when funding permits
• Additional research/inventories to document park values will be permitted if not in conflict with park values and consistent with the Ontario Parks Research and Information Strategy. MNR, Ontario Parks or partnered groups and individuals may undertake research projects. The Park Superintendent/Zone Manager must approve all research applications

XII Marketing

Marketing of Spruce Islands Nature Reserve has been limited to the acknowledgement of its role in the Ontario’s Living Legacy initiative and the protected areas system, as a whole. The Ontario Parks website also provides a brief description of the nature reserve.

Guideline:

• Any marketing of the park will focus on its status as a nature reserve and the goals and objectives of this classification
• A park management plan may direct that a detailed Marketing Plan be developed. The scope of this plan would include provincial, national and international markets

XIII Sources/references

Munroe, J. 2002. Earth Science Reconnaissance Inventory Report: Spruce Islands Provincial Park and Addition (P2416). Ministry of Natural Resources, Fort Frances District.

Munroe, J. 2002. Recreation Inventory Report – Spruce Islands Provincial Park and Additions (P2416). Ministry of Natural Resources, Fort Frances District.

Munroe, J. 2002. Spruce Islands Provincial Park and Addition (P2416): Life Science Reconnaissance Inventory Report . Ministry of Natural Resources, Fort Frances District.

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR). 2002. Natural Resources Values Information System (NRVIS). Fort Frances District.

OMNR. 1992 (update). Ontario Provincial Parks: Planning and Management Policies .

OMNR. 1986 (revised 1991). Spruce Islands Provincial Nature Reserve Interim Management Statement .

OMNR. 1983. Fort Frances District Land Use Guidelines (DLUG).

Ross, W.A. (Regional Archeologist, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation). February 11, 2001. Personal communication.

Permitted uses tables for nature reserve class parks

Existing (Pre-OLL) Nature Reserves^{footnote 1[1]}

Commercial activities

Land and resource management activities

Science, education & heritage appreciation

Recreation activities and facilities

Nature Reserve class OLL additions

Commercial activities

Land and resource management activities

Science, education & heritage appreciation

Recreation activities and facilities